The authors of this work have widely different backgrounds which complement each other for the production of a reference book on Jack the Ripper, the perpetrator of a series of London murders in the late nineteenth century which still attract much attention. Stewart Evans is a retired police officer who has made it his life’s work to track down previously hidden or suppressed documentary evidence relating to these cases, whilst Keith Skinner is a professional researcher, whose previous work was The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard.
Every previous book on Jack the Ripper has been based mainly on the mass of witness statements, police reports and other documentation contained in the Scotland Yard files that are now lodged at the Public Record Office. These extensive files contain the evidence from which any theory must start in the search for the identity of the Whitechapel murderer. In a mass of detailed accounts they contain the facts of one of the greatest unsolved crimes in history ‐ a case that has generated more conflicting solutions than any other does. The authors have applied their joint knowledge and expertise to the collation of all the known official records, supplemented by important contemporary information, including press reports, to produce the ultimate Ripper book ‐ a narrative account of the murders containing all the known evidence. Years spent sifting and culling this difficult material and “long hours transcribing barely legible Victorian handwriting” have resulted in an impressively complete work on the subject. The book contains the entire contents of the Scotland Yard files covering the entire series of murders considered by the police in their investigation, as well as extensive press reports, witness statements and extracts from police notebooks, every entry being sourced and collated from original documents. Additionally, documents missing from the files and rare photographs are included.
Hitherto only available to dedicated researchers prepared to travel to Kew and spend hours examining microfiches, all the relevant and known facts on the murders are now accessible in this authoritative book. It is presented in an appealing narrative form for the general public and true crime fans alike for only £25, which represents very good value for money for nearly 700 pages of well‐produced text and illustrations.
